Manicure is a noun, coming from the French word "manice" meaning hand and it means the treatment for the care of hands and fingernails. Indeed, for hundreds of years people, typically females, have been having their nails manicured. Typically, a manicure includes trimming and polishing the nails and occasionally painting them. The manicure often includes building out the leading edge of the nail so that the fingernails extend out further than the natural nail. Building up nails is typically done with a liquid catalyst and a powder acrylic (or other suitable material) which, when "painted on" to a paper form backing extending from the leading edge of the natural nail outward, dries quickly to form an acrylic polymer that can then be trimmed, shaped with an emery board, and polished to form a natural looking extension of the natural nail. Alternately, the acrylic polymer can be used to bond plastic nails to the border regions of the natural nail to provide an artificial extension of the nail.
However, both methods, utilizing paper forms to build out the nail from acrylic polymer or using a plastic nail bonded to the natural nail, have their drawbacks.
Using paper forms, the manicurist must be skilled in using the brush to create a natural looking extension of the fingernail in order to form an aesthetically pleasing shape. That is, the manicurist must use the brush in properly applying the catalyst powder mix to evenly extend the nail outward from the leading edge, provide a smooth curve to the side edges and nose of the nail (rounded or squared off), and then have reasonable symmetry to the nail to create an aesthetically pleasing look, which also matches the other nails on the hand. Typically, the paper forms enjoying popularity at present have a grid pattern printed on the paper surface to help outline the borders where the brush strokes should be laid. Nonetheless, use of paper forms does require a certain amount of skill and dexterity as well as creativity on the part of the manicurist in following the proper lines. Further, paper forms will sometimes collapse under the weight of the catalyst powder mix as well as the pressure from the stroking of the brush against the paper. Partial collapse means a thick buildup of the nail and/or a buildup beneath the leading edge portion of the natural nail where the paper has collapsed due to the weight of the acrylic product and/or brush pressure. With collapse of the paper form, the mix will be built up thicker in that particular area and will result in a nail which will be unnaturally thick and require extra sanding.
Where an adhesive is used to glue a plastic nail on the leading edge portion of the natural nail, other problems are encountered. Frequently, it is hard to get a smooth blend from the surface of the natural nail onto the plastic nail because of the ridge created by gluing the plastic on the top surface of the natural nail. Further, it has been found that the use of plastic nails increases the likelihood of a fungus buildup under the tip of the nail, which creates concerns for the hygiene of the wearer.